encre_vol21_no3_anglais

HISTORY
70 th Anniversary of the Dieppe Raid
By PO 2 Michael Pinault-LePage, HMCS SUMMERSIDE
his year marked the celebrations of the 70th anniversary
of the 1942 raid on Dieppe. A contingent of soldiers,
sailors and airmen from all over Canada gathered in CFB
Trenton on August 13, 2012. I was selected to represent the
RCN after I was awarded the JTFN Commander’s Pennant for my
actions in OP NANOOK 2011. This contingent formed a 50-man
Guard of Honour accompanied by the Fusiliers Mont-Royal’s
band and support personnel. The commemoration took place in
France on the historic site of Dieppe’s beaches from August 18
to 20. The contingent left Canada on the 16th T
of August en route
to Dieppe with a short detour to Ottawa to collect the Veterans
Affairs Canada representatives and the seven veterans who
would accompany the delegation to Dieppe. Of note, some of
these veterans had never returned to Dieppe since that infamous
day of August 19, 1942.
Once we arrived in Dieppe, people were given the afternoon to
settle in and visit the town at their leisure. It was truly impressive
to walk the streets where Canadian flags hung in almost every
shop window and all along the streets. Everywhere you stopped,
the local population would thank you for what was done 70 years
ago by WWII soldiers. As one of the local woman, who was a
young girl back then, told me: “The raid was a proof that we had
not been forgotten by the Allies.” The next day, the contingent
took a bus tour stopping in Pourville, then Puys, and finally Dieppe,
along the waterfront. This tour was made special by Dr. Stephen
Harris from the Directorate of History and Heritage (DHH) who
accompanied the troops and spoke about the events that took
place in each area 70 years ago. He gave the statistics of each
regiment present that day in the location they landed with how
many of them left England, how many returned, how many died
on the beaches and how many were captured and became POWs.
He also gave great details of the advance inland made by each of
the regiments and other notable actions made by specific soldiers
and officers. That afternoon, we attended the world premiere
presentation of the documentary Dieppe Uncovered which is
based on the research of military historian Dr. David O’Keefe.
During this documentary we were presented with a new side of
Operation Jubilee. Documents now show that Canadians were to
conduct the frontal assault on Dieppe while a British commando
platoon was to enter the harbour and take the German naval HQ.
This HQ was important to the Allies since they had the new 4-rotor
enigma machines with crypto codes and machine parts. After this
presentation, some of us retraced the location of the naval HQ,
giving us a first look at what is sure to become a new landmark of
the Dieppe raid. Later that day, one of the officers from the
Guard met a British veteran on the street. While chatting with
him, he found out this man’s job during the raid had been to blow
up the safe in the CO’s office of the German naval HQ. He
immediately put this veteran and Dr. O’Keefe in contact for them
to share information.
32 LINK Vol. 21, No. 3, November 2012
The Governor General of Canada, His Excellency David Johnston conducting the review of the
Guard of Honour on August 19, 2012.
(Photo by DND.)
While everyone prepared for the evening parade on August 18,
the members of the Fusiliers Mont-Royal proceeded into town for
a special ceremony. There is a monument beside a church, dedicated
to the only two soldiers who made it in town during the
assault and who died on the church grounds. That evening,
around sunset time, the contingent conducted a ceremony at the
cemetery where all the Canadians are buried. This immediately
made me think of the veterans’ creed: “At the going down of the
sun and in the morning, we will remember them.” The next
morning, after the main ceremonies at the Square du Canada, the
parade travelled along the waterfront stopping at each of the
three monuments dedicated to the Canadian regiments who landed
on the beach of Dieppe. All along the 2-km parade route, local
citizens were lined from one side of the street to the other
applauding and literally parting like the sea to allow the contingent
to pass through. That afternoon, ceremonies were held in Pourville
to commemorate the actions which occurred there and to unveil
a new monument. On the 20 th , we participated in a ceremony at
the soldiers’ monument in Puys and the unveiling of a plaque
made by a local schoolgirl. We completed our official obligations
with a ceremony held at the sailors’ monument at the harbour
entrance in Dieppe. When we left the next day, I felt truly privileged
to have been a part of these events and this contingent.